When it set sail from its alleged birthplace of Wuhan, China in early December, as it’s been reported, it seemed worlds away. Now that its effects have rippled into any China-Town, USA and everywhere in between, an adage has been confirmed many times over; WE ARE ONE! We all eat, sleep, bleed, breathe and as the recent news has shown, become susceptible to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As we head to press, all world NBA superstar and future hall of famer Kevin Durant has tested positive for the ailment; joining the ranks of his NBA brethren Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz as well as one of the planet’s greatest thespians’ and former “Sexiest Man Alive,” Idris Elba. There’re so many lanes to take when trying to surmise where to take my thoughts, I happened upon the words of hip hop savant Lupe Fiasco.
“Just remember that the coronavirus is you,” he declared “What I mean when I say that is that it doesn’t make you panic. It doesn’t drive you crazy. It doesn’t drive you to do extreme things. It makes you sick. It shouldn’t drive you to panic. It shouldn’t drive you to racism or to overreact. It shouldn’t drive you to bullying or profiteering or price gouging. That’s human nature, the nature of humanity coming out. That is the disease in us as human beings that never goes away. Our greed and our selfishness. Us overreacting.” Additionally, he states, “Don’t allow that to happen. As this thing grows and gets a little more out of hand, corona is what you make it. If you make it a crazy panic-driven fear-filled thing, that is what it will be. The disease isn’t only the disease itself, it’s also the reaction to the disease. In some cases, most of us will be experiencing the reaction to the disease. Make sure you are disciplined, sensible, and consistent. Vigilant.”
The first effect of the drought, that will remain in effect for the foreseeable future was the cancellation of the first big festival for Soul/R&B /Gospel/Hip-Hop for 2020 with Jazz In The Garden. With a final lineup consisting of Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Charlie Wilson, H.E.R, The Roots with Bilal and Uncle Luke, Keyshia Cole, Stokley, Kirk Franklin, SWV, Ludacris and Mike Phillips. Held in the city of Miami Gardens, Mayor Oliver Gilbert announced:
“I signed a local state of emergency for the City of Miami Gardens due to Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“After much consideration and in an abundance of caution, I’ve made the decision to postpone the Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival and its ancillary events. These events include Poetry in the Gardens, Women’s Impact Luncheon, the Official Press Conference, and Opening Night Party that were scheduled for Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13, as well as the Music Festival on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15.
“While I know our residents and patrons of Jazz are disappointed, our decision was made with them in mind.
“We will be updating the Jazz in the Gardens website, www.jazzinthegardens.com, with information regarding rescheduling.”
Since then, we’ve learned that one the premiere events in entertainment, the Tribeca Film Festival has been cancelled. Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO, Tribeca Enterprises stated, “We founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to heal our community after the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. We were determined to overcome our fear and anxiety by joining together. It is in our DNA to march forward while caring about our community,” said Rosenthal. “We have made the difficult decision to postpone the 19th Tribeca Film Festival (April 15-26) based on the announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that events of 500 people or more are banned due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of the public while also supporting our friends, filmmakers and storytellers who look to Tribeca as a platform to showcase their work to audiences. We will be back to you shortly with our plans.”
Our Harlem neighbors at the Apollo Theatre is also taking a people first approach. Excerpts from an issued statement reads, “In keeping the health and well-being of our audience, artists, community, visitors and staff our top priority, the Apollo Theater is canceling all Apollo Theater-produced public programs such as WOW––Women of the World Festival, Amateur Night at the Apollo, School Day Live, Historic Tours, Live Wire, Apollo Comedy Club, and Apollo Music Café events through Saturday, April 4. Due to the recent travel restrictions, the Apollo Theater and African Film Festival’s Africa Now! concert featuring Oumou Sangaré on Saturday, April 4 at 8 pm has been postponed until the fall. The rescheduled date will be announced soon.”
We’ll get through it together ya’ll. Over and out!